Smartphone industry is facing a slowdown. Sales numbers have been dipping across the portfolios and even the almighty Apple is facing the heat. Analysts have predicted that developing markets like India will drive the Industry growth moving forward. However, this does not stop brands from innovating and trying to bring out the best features for the users.
The market is still abuzz with news and rumours about smartphones that are yet to be launched and brands are busy creating a hype around their upcoming launches regardless of the price bracket they’d fall in. Today we will list a few such devices which are going to be launched in a month or two. So, if you’re planning to get a new phone anytime soon, we’ve done the homework for you:
Budget Pixel Phones: Call them Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a Xl, budget Pixel or whatever you may like, the stripped-down Pixel smartphones from Google are easily one of the most anticipated smartphones of recent times. The hype around these smartphones is because Pixel phones not only bring the awesome Google Pixel camera at an affordable price but also puts you first in the line to get the latest Android updates directly from Google.
Google is said to launch two different affordable smartphones under its budget Pixel range, Pixel 3a and the slightly larger Pixel 3a XL with a focus on emerging markets like India. These phones will be announced on May 7th and will make their way to India on May 8th. Price of these phones may start from Rs. 45,000 in India.
OnePlus 7 Series: OnePlus smartphones have been able to capture a lot of attention in a very short span of time; thanks to the flagship-grade hardware specifications they offer at an affordable price range and aggressive marketing done by the brand. Unlike the previous iterations, the company may launch three different devices this time, the OnePlus 7, One Plus 7 Pro and a OnePlus 7 Pro 5G.
The base variant of OnePlus 7 may look similar to the OnePlus 6T in terms of design but may come with an improved display for gaming and latest hardware specifications. The OnePlus 7 Pro is said to house a pop-up selfie camera and a triple camera setup at the back. The 5G version may just have 5G capabilities and extra internal storage. Since India is yet to get its first 5G service, the 5G variant may be launched on a later date. As for the pricing, the new OnePlus devices are going to be costlier and we can expect the price starting around Rs. 40,000.
Realme X: Though Realme has recently announced its flagship, Realme 3 Pro in India, its next device has already started making its presence felt. The existence of Realme X was recently confirmed in China. The phone will come in a bezel less avatar and will house a pop-up selfie camera. It could be one of the first few devices to bring in the in-display finger print sensor to the mid-budget smartphone or affordable smartphone segment. Though there is no information regarding its pricing, but the Realme X may soon launch in China and hopefully lands in India soon.
Redmi Flagship phone: Ever since Xiaomi spun off Redmi into a separate entity, its executives have been teasing about a flagship smartphone at a budget price. The phone is rumoured to come with a flagship Snapdragon 855 SoC, a 48-megapixel camera and probably a pop-up selfie camera too. Though Xiaomi has not announced its launch date yet, it may launch in China by the end of this month.
Honor 20 series: Honor phones are known for their design and camera capabilities. The Honor 20 series is set for a launch on May 21st in London. This series may come with a couple of devices, Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro. The Honor 20 Pro may come equipped with a quad camera setup, OLED display and fast charging capacity. We can expect both or atleast one of these phones launching in India soon after the global launch.
Xiaomi Mi A3: The Mi A3 like the previous generation devices in its league, will have the hardware from Xiaomi but will have near stock Android experience. There is very less information available about this phone as of now apart from the fact that it may be powered by a recently introduced Snapdragon 730 SoC, but the phone is expected to launch with in next two months in India.
Nokia 9 PureView: Nokia 9 is company’s first true Android flagship smartphone. It was announced a couple of months back during this years’ MWC, however the phone with a penta-camera setup is finally said to be announced soon in India. Since the phone got delayed quite a bit, it comes with Snapdragon 845 SoC found in most flagships of 2018, 6GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor, 3320 mAH battery pack and is expected to be priced close to Rs. 50,000 in India.